Hotels face increasing security challenges today, with multiple access locations and significant foot traffic throughout the day. Ongoing functions and events further add to the complexity of visitor tracking, with the continued arrival and departure of guests to hundreds of premises worldwide. The continued expansion and construction of new hotel locations demanded a scalable security system that aligned with growing security requirements. This makes it crucial for a surveillance system with superior and advanced imagery, recognition features, storage functions, and software enabling cameras to detect incidents and incident patterns. System monitors of actual or impending security breaches through the detection of "patterns" that signify a security incident, for instance, were one of the requirements for this hotel chain.

Working in partnership with SM&W, Milestone installed a cost-efficient and comprehensive dedicated video surveillance system. Milestone’s Xprotect IP video management software (VMS) was selected to monitor a high amount of traffic across multiple locations, while offering restricted multi-level logical access to critical information. The solution also ensured the highest performance of video analytics applications, such as access to cameras with multiple users and heat mapping to consistently stay ahead of security threats. Milestone ensured that physical security systems were integrated between access control systems, alarms and cameras. For example, when an access control device such as an exit door is breached, cameras and alarms will be activated, quickly identifying and responding to threats.

“Today’s security solutions need to be increasingly sophisticated and customers focus on quality control, automatic procedures and cost-efficiency,” commented Hansen Yeung, Senior Consultant, Shen Milsom & Wilke. “Adding a reliable and flexible video content analysis feature in video surveillance systems helps benefit customers, while helping to enhance security premises, and keeping hotel staff and guests safe.”

Based on a sophisticated design application of “concentric circles of protection”, Milestone’s solution greatly enhances security. Security personnel can effectively control, detect, evaluate and respond to undesired activity, intruders or other unauthorised individuals. The software also enables efficient online monitoring of video surveillance systems with several operator work stations, and user-friendly features provided an effective way to perform efficient online search and export capabilities for prosecution purposes.

Benjamin Low, Vice President, Asia Pacific, Milestone Systems, added, “Public safety is a top priority for all customers. We consistently work towards providing intelligent video solutions on a future-proof platform that is scalable for new hotel locations, whilst allowing integration with new innovations in security and risk management, centralised support and training, and remote storage and incidence management”.

With an open platform infrastructure, Milestone extends support for over 6,000 digital cameras, encoders and digital video recorders (DVRs). Such functionality gives room for innovation as new technologies can be integrated as they are developed. On top of the support provided in the initial installation process, Milestone seeks to empower the Milestone community by delivering continuous training for users to achieve the full benefits of the video management software.

Milestone’s open platform allows the customisation of the video surveillance system, as well as the integration of applications for extra features. This is important as open platform solutions can be integrated into the whole security ecosystem, and additional features can be integrated and scaled and in the future,” said Yeung.